This article is part of
Wilderness Way
VOLUME 9, ISSUE 2.
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Ed's Trigger
by Ed Perez
Ed's Trigger is a practical choice for setting an animal trap in a wilderness survival situation. I will explain the setup and use for this type of trap.
There are three combinations that are necessary for a trap to work. The first is location. You must first go to where the game animals are. The location of game trails and setting the desired trap or snare on or near the trail is essential. Second is the probability of increasing your chances of catching food. If food is your desired goal, then several traps are necessary so as to increase your chances of success, and therefore, obtaining food. Third is portability from one location to another location. This mandates that any trap, and or snare, are portable and easy to carry, or you will have to remake each trap or snare each time. The combination of location, probability, and portability determines how practical a trap design truly is. The many examples found in most outdoor survival books are possible, but highly impractical in a real survival situation. The following is a discussion of several of the more common examples and how they compare with Ed's Trigger:
First
The first is a hole in the ground with a false roof. This is
found in many books and even some movies. This is hard to do
depending on how hard the ground is and the tools you have
available. The game trail is altered a great deal making it
less likely that an animal will not notice the trail
changes. It also cannot be taken to another location, and
therefore, all of your efforts are lost if you have to
relocate. This design is impractical in most situations.
Second
The second example is bending a tree by attaching
a rope at the top. The animal is pulled into the air by the
action of the tree. This extreme bending of a tree is nearly
impossible in most situations. It is very difficult to bend
wood to such angles without the use of woodshop tools and
clamps. Trees are not made of graphite. This design is also
impractical because it fails to meet the location,
probability, and portability requirements.
Third
The third is a large flat rock that falls over and pins the
animal down. This type of rock is difficult to find, and
several cannot easily be carried from location to location.
This design also lacks probability and port-ability, and is
therefore, impractical.
Fourth
The fourth comparison is a peg in the ground design. This is
simply done by driving a wooden peg into the ground much
like put-ting a steel nail into wood. The peg holds itself
by the friction created between the peg and the ground. This
is dependent on how hard the ground is and how long the peg
is. If it starts to rain, then the ground looses its holding
power on the peg, and the peg is pulled out. Also, the
deadfall rope that is attached to the peg is combining the
upward force of the deadfall log weight and the wiggle
movement of the wind affecting the tree branch to pull the
peg out of the ground. Although this design has problems, it
is the most popular of all four examples, and it does allow
for easy relocation, probability, and portability.
Now, The Trigger Design
I believe a better design for wilderness situations is Ed's Trigger. The diagram illustrates its simple design. Anyone can whittle several of these triggers in just minutes. It is very small, portable, and can be set at any location with a minimum of effort. Many of these can be set in a short amount of time.
The trigger includes two dowels: D-1 and D-2, and Dacron fishing line. D-1 allows for the deadfall fishing line (blue line) to loop in the middle of the dowel. The action of the deadfall line (blue line) that is attached to the lasso (white line) will capture the animal's foot and raise it above the ground. On one end of D-1, the Dacron line (green line) is tied and is then looped around a stationary object that could be a horizontal log or the base of a tree, and then looped on the other end of D-1. D-2 is set so that both flat surfaces are against each other. At this point the trigger can be whittled to a hair trigger release if desired. The closer the loop is to the end of D-1 the more sensitive the trigger. The trigger will release with movement in any direction. The opposite end of D-2 has a Dacron line (red line) attached to the bait source. As the bait is moved by the game animal, D-2 is moved and the loop holding D-1 is moved out of position, thus releasing D-1 to flip through the deadfall line (blue line) loop. This allows the deadfall weight to close the lasso, and the animal is suspended in air. All points where the line touches the dowels is recessed in a grove to prevent the line from moving out of position. (Obviously do not use colored line in a real survival situation.) Its simple and it works!
The Setup
Beginning with dowel D-1, the Dacron line (green
line) that holds the trigger to or near the ground uses a
stationary object. This Dacron line (green line) will be
tied to one end of D-1 and have a large loop on the other
end. The stationary object could be a horizontal log, rock,
or almost anything that has enough weight to hold the
deadfall weight. This Dacron line (green line) will wrap
around the stationary object, and then pass through a second
loop before reaching the dowel. The purpose for this second
loop is to guarantee that the loop at the end of the line
will pull directly down from the end of D-1 when the trigger
is set.
The dowel D-2 is the same size and also has a Dacron line (red line) attached. This line is tied to one end of D-2 and then to the bait source. As the game animal takes the bait, D-2 is moved and the trigger is released. Almost any kind of bait maybe used.
The Dacron deadfall line (blue line) that attaches the trigger to the deadfall weight has a large loop at its end. This large loop, about twice the length of D-1, wraps around the middle of D-1 and pulls upwards. The up-ward force holds the trigger in position. The stationary object holds down this upward force of the deadfall weight.
The third and last Dacron line (white line) is the lasso. This line is attached to the deadfall line loop and then placed in the bait source area. Multiple lassos can be attached and placed near the bait to increase your chances of catching the game animal.
Set the trigger by wrapping the Dacron line (green line) from D-1 around the stationary object and looped on the end of D-1. Pass the deadfall line (blue line) over the tree branch and down to the middle of D-1. Loop this line in the middle of D-1. At this point, your trigger should be held down by a stationary object and pulled up by the deadfall weight. Attach a lasso (red line) to the deadfall line (blue line) loop. To set the trigger by matching the flat ends of each dowel, place the end of D-2 in position directly under the end of D-1 and inside the stationary object line loop. Then, by holding D-1 with one hand, and rotating the D-2 dowel around the end of D-1, both flat surfaces can be matched up easily. The trigger is now set. The closer the stationary line (green line) loop is to the end of D-1 the more sensitive the trigger. The trigger is now set and ready for use.
My favorite is to use a horizontal log as a stationary object and set the trigger directly above it. This horizontal log is placed parallel to the game trail. This allows the trigger to be above the ground and away from contact by the game animal. Two lassos are used, so that a lasso is placed on either side of the bait source that is in the middle of the trail. The game animal can be captured as it approaches from either direction.
I hope this trigger will help you capture food during your next wilderness adventure. Ed's Trigger meets all the aspects of a practical trap design. It is simple to carry, make, and, use.
Good
hunting.
